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Council postpones reconsideration of DEM nominee after conflict and contract concerns
Summary
After extended questioning about contracts and potential conflicts of interest, the Hawaii County Council rejected Wesley Sagawa's confirmation for director of Environmental Management and later voted to reconsider and postpone a final decision to a special meeting on Jan. 31 for further review.
The Hawaii County Council on Jan. 22 rejected, then moved to reconsider, the confirmation of Wesley Sagawa as director of the Department of Environmental Management amid questioning about his department priorities and potential conflicts tied to private contracts.
Council members pressed Sagawa during a lengthy public confirmation hearing on his plans for cesspool conversions, landfill life, recycling and whether his ownership stake in a consulting firm that holds county contracts could create conflicts. Sagawa told the council he has been on the job less than 50 days and said he is “data driven” and awaiting an integrated wastewater management plan that he expects will guide prioritization and policy. He also said he would address any conflicts that were identified: “If I am appointed to this position ... if there is a conflict, I need to address it,” he said.
Members raised particular questions about an existing contract that Sagawa acknowledged his company holds for a county lava-road project; that figure was discussed in committee as roughly $4 million. Several council members asked corporation counsel and the finance director to review whether existing awards or future change orders could create an appearance of impropriety or require recusal. Assistant corporation counsel Jay Yoshimoto and Finance Director Diane Nakagawa told the council that existing code and the Board of Ethics procedures would guide any formal determination.
The council first voted on Sagawa's confirmation; the motion failed. The clerk recorded four votes in favor and four opposed, and the confirmation was rejected. After a later procedural motion to reconsider carried, the council agreed to bring the matter back at a special meeting on Jan. 31 so staff, corporation counsel and finance could complete the requested reviews and the board of ethics could be consulted if needed.
Chair Inaba told the meeting that the administration would be asked to submit a petition to the Board of Ethics about any open contracts involving Sagawa's firm and provide guidance about future contracts that could be related to his company before the council revisits the nomination.
What happens next: the council will meet on Jan. 31 to take up the nomination again. The council's action leaves the director post vacant unless a holdover process applies; council members said they wanted the additional time to avoid an improvident approval and to ensure transparency for the public and fairness to the nominee.
Sources: remarks and roll-call votes recorded during the Jan. 22 Hawaii County Council meeting; responses from assistant corporation counsel and the county finance director.
